Atlantic Move Group
Rooftops of Alfama and the Tagus river in Lisbon at sunrise

Moving to Portugal to work? Start here.

Clear guides to the NIF, IFICI, recibos verdes, your own company and your first tax return. Written by Certified Accountants in Lisbon.

See the first steps Ask a specialist

Your first year, in the order it happens

Most of the stress in a move comes from doing things in the wrong order. This is the sequence we walk our own clients through.

  1. Get your NIF

    Your Portuguese tax number. A lease, a bank account and a phone contract all ask for it.

    Before you move

  2. Bank account and lease

    Both need the NIF. The lease also helps prove where you live.

    Month 1

  3. Move your tax address

    This makes you resident in the tax records and starts the IFICI clock.

    Months 1–3

  4. Register your activity

    As a freelancer or through your own Lda, before your first invoice.

    Before invoicing

  5. Apply for IFICI

    In the year after you become resident. Miss it and the 20% rate is gone.

    By 15 January

  6. First IRS return

    Covers the whole year, including income earned abroad.

    April to June

Guides

A couple unpacking boxes in a Lisbon apartment

Arrival

How to get a NIF in Portugal

What it is, who needs a fiscal representative, and what to do once you land.

 A tram climbing a cobbled street in Lisbon

Tax regime

IFICI, the NHR 2.0

A flat 20% for ten years: who qualifies and the 15 January deadline.

 A woman working on a laptop in a Lisbon café

Set-up

Freelancer or company?

Recibos verdes against a Lda, with the 2026 rates side by side.

 A freelancer working at a desk in a Lisbon apartment

Freelancers

Recibos verdes and VAT

Registering, invoicing, withholding, Social Security and VAT in 2026.

 Papers, a calculator and a laptop on a kitchen table

Tax return

Your first IRS return

Split-year residence, foreign income, IFICI and IRS Jovem.

 Cliffs and the Atlantic coast near Ericeira at sunset

Company

How to open a Lda

Costs, the first 30 days, yearly filings and paying yourself.
Cliffs and the Atlantic coast near Ericeira at sunset

One contact for the whole move

We handle tax and accounting ourselves. For everything else, we introduce you to people we have worked with for years.

We handle

  • NIF and tax address
  • IFICI application
  • Freelancer registration, VAT and Social Security
  • Opening and running a Lda
  • Yearly IRS returns

Our partners handle

  • Visas and residence permits
  • Fiscal representation before you arrive
  • Renting or buying a home
  • Health insurance and banking

Ask a specialist

Tell us where you are in the move. A Certified Accountant replies within two working days. Questions about visas, housing or insurance go to a vetted partner, only with your OK.

We use your details only to answer this request.